Barnes & Noble

Throughout his film career, actor Daniel Day-Lewis has consistently -- and seemingly effortlessly -- tapped into the machismo and swagger of the many characters he's chosen to portray -- from the rugged settler of Last of the Mohicans to a former IRA soldier in The Boxer to the irrepressible rake of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. All of which makes his Oscar-winning performance in My Left Foot so worthy of recognition. Playing the real-life Christy Brown -- the renowned Irish author and painter who suffered from cerebral palsy -- Day-Lewis was called upon to recreate Brown's unsettling infirmities and unusual gifts, none of which were particularly pretty to look at. Grunting his words through a contorted mask of tics and winces, Day-Lewis learned to use, as Brown did, the only unafflicted part of his body -- a foot -- for his daily functions. Still, to many critics, the actor's greatest achievement was his ability to make the audience care about Brown without compromising the character's more unattractive qualities, namely a volatile temperament and drunken belligerence. While the plot of the film turns on Brown's many relationships -- notably with his unassailable mother (Brenda Fricker, who also won an Academy Award for her performance) and his nurse, with whom he falls in love -- My Left Foot is at its most effective when simply celebrating a man's startling triumph over insurmountable odds. Bruce Kluger

All Movie Guide

An alternative to the general run of "triumph over the odds" biopics, My Left Foot is the true story of Irish cerebral palsy victim Christy Brown. Paralyzed from birth, Brown (played by Hugh O'Conor as child and Daniel Day-Lewis as an adult) is written off as retarded and helpless. But Christy's indomitable mother (Brenda Fricker) never gives up on the boy. Using his left foot, the only part of his body not afflicted, Brown learns to write. He grows up to become a well-known author, painter, and fundraiser, and along the way falls in love with nurse Mary Carr (Ruth McCabe). There's no sugarcoating in My Left Foot: Brown, a heavy drinker, was by no means lovable. Day-Lewis and Fricker both won Academy Awards for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Also notable are the late Ray McAnally in his next-to-last film role as Christy's father, and venerable Cyril Cusack as Lord Castlewelland. Director Jim Sheridan co-scripted with Shane Connaughton from Christy Brown's autobiography. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 786936151985
• Source: MIRAMAX
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:43:00
• Sales Rank: 3,230

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